Measuring Diamond Thermal Performance
Why quoted conductivity must be tied to material grade, direction, temperature and test method.
What this topic covers
Why quoted conductivity must be tied to material grade, direction, temperature and test method.
Core engineering ideas
Thermal conductivity measurements can vary with method, sample geometry and material quality.
Polycrystalline grain boundaries and defects reduce performance relative to exceptional single crystals.
Package-level thermal tests are needed because bulk-property data does not include interfaces.
System tradeoffs
Synthetic plates and films are specified by thermal performance, dimensions, flatness, defect level and integration method.
Quality and verification
Package-level testing is more meaningful than quoting an ideal bulk conductivity number by itself.
Lifecycle perspective
Diamond competes with copper, ceramics, silicon carbide and other thermal materials on cost, electrical behaviour, density and manufacturability.